This article is written by Arunkumar Deshmukh, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog.

Can you guess how many actors and actresses must have worked in ALL Hindi films from 1931 to 2000 ?
I asked this question to my friend and he hazarded a figure of 2000. I put the number at around 3000 to 4000, myself.

What is your Guess ?
It is unimaginable that some good soul had the time and energy to compile this list of 70 years of film acting.

Yes , it’s true. Such a list is available with ALL names arranged alphabetically. And the number…..?

It is a whopping 7000 !

The list of names of ALL actors and actresses who worked in films from 1931 to 2000 was published on the RMIM Forum, by none other than Dr.Surjit Singh ji of USA.

No-he has not compiled it, he got it from an Internet site-Now Defunct-,and published it 0n 29-8-2006.

This is a common list, not distinguishing by sex or the standing-like hero, heroine, villain etc.

This is a problem, because we in India are habituated to labelling people. A Hero is never just a Hero-he has to be a comedy hero, a Tragedy Hero, an Action hero etc.

Similarly, Heroines have to be Tragedy queen(like Meena Kumari-although she did many comedy film roles in Bandisah, Ilzaam, Sshararat, Kohinoor,Azaad, Miss Mary etc), Comedy heroine like Meena Shorey, Sex bomb heroine like Shekhavat, Dancer heroine like Madhuri Dixit or a Weeping heroine like Nimmi etc.

Even the comedians are stamped as the Drunkard(Keshto Mukherjee), Buffoon(Rajendra Kumar) or a Miser (Ompraksh, though he did all types of roles).

OMPRAKASH BAKSHI was born on 19-12-1919 at Lahore. At the age of 12 , he started learning classical music. In 1937,he joined A.I. Radio on a salary of Rs.25 pm.

He took the penname of ‘FATEH DIN. He presented entertaining programmes. He was very popular in Punjab and Lahore during that period. In private parties he was a centre of attraction. In one such Party, where he was regaling his audience, he was noticed by Dalsukh Pancholi and he offered Omprakash a role in DAASI-1944. Then came Dhamki-45 and Aayee Bahaar-46. In Shehar Sse Door-46, he was a co Hero with Al Nasir and later in Ghungroo-52 he was the Hero opposite Sumitra Devi.

Just when he was settling in films, partition took place and he landed in Bombay. His first film in Bombay was Lakhpati-48 and then there was no looking back. He acted as Villain in Naach, Nirdosh, Baghi Sipahi etc. He was a good actor and played a variety of roles. In many films he was shown as a Pehelwan. In Pehli Jhalak, his bout with Dara Singh became the film’s attraction. Even in Chameli ki Shaadi, he was a pehelwan.

There were many films made with him as a central character like, Annadaata, Dus lakh, Sadhu aur Sshaitan. Dil Duniya, Daulat -72 was a remake of Pugree-48 in which he did the role which was done by comedian Ghori in Pugree.

C.Ramchandra was his best friend. They together produced Duniya Gol Hai, Jhanjhar and Lakeer. The trailer of Duniya Gol Hai was more interesting than the film In this trailer, Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Ashok kumar come on the screen one after another and say- I have directed this film, so you must see it. Lastly Omprakash comes on screen and says,” Ye sab pagal hain. Picture to maine direct kee hai”. Anyway all the 3 films flopped despite good music. Later Omprakash produced films like Gateway of Iindia, Chacha Zindabad, Sanjog and Jahan Ara. After Jahan Ara’s colossal losses he stopped producing films and converted his office into a Card Game centre for friends.

His last days-

He lived in Union Park, Chembur, a suburb of Mumbai. He died at age 78 in Mumbai, India of a heart attack. The actor who was always so full of life was still full of life till just two days before his death. He knew he was not well. He knew he was suffering from various complications but he never gave up his zest for life till his heart betrayed him. He kept calling friends to play a game of rummy or just chat. He had an office at the Roop Tara Studios which was only used for “rummy sessions” and “chat sessions”. Then, some years ago, he shifted his office to the suburbs to make it more convenient for his friends. He attended this office regularly till his health started failing him. He was confined to his bungalow (next to Ashok Kumar’s bungalow). He suffered his first heart attack in his own bedroom. He was rushed to the Lilavati Hospital where he suffered a second heart attack and went into a coma from which he never came out. He was declared dead at 1.30 pm on February 14. The news spread fast and the industry was shocked and stunned because he was the kind of man who could not be easily associated with something so sombre and solemn like death.

Omprakash had acted in more than 200 films.

let us see and enjoy his song in the film Bindiya-1960-

BINDIYA(1960),was a typical south indian movie depicting Saas Bahu jugalbandi.

Produced by A.V.M.Productions for Kamal Brothers, Madras,it was directed by Krishnan Panju(Ladlaa,Do Kaliyan etc),and the Music was by Iqbal Qureshi.
The cast was Balraj Sahni, Padmini, Vijaya Chaudhari, David,Jagdeep,Omprakash, Jayashree Gadkar, Achala Sachdev, Rajendranath etc. There were many South Indian actors also in it. It was a story of Dervraj(Balraj Sanhi) and Bindu(Padmini) who have a love marriage. Trouble starts when Devraj’s step mother enters their house. In a true South Indian movies tradition, theend is sweet and all gather for a Group Photo at the end.

Omprakash,who does the role of Shastriji, sings a song “Hari om katha arambh” in this film in his own voice and a record also came out.

Krishnan Panju, as the popular belief is, was NOT one person but it was a duo of directors R.Krishnan and Panju Arunachalam. They were very successful director duo in Tamil films and did about 70 films together till late 80s. They directed 4 films in Hindi also.

Thanks Arunji for groundwork on my favourite Om Prakash. There isn’t and can’t be anybody like him. He was the best in the business. His style was inimitable with a tangy/nasal sing song voice as only he could manage it.
He used to send Money Orders to even unknown people all over India.
Padosan was one of his best portrayals of a typical old man doing his daily exercise in laal langota to look young yearning for the beautiful damsel. His role in Asha was equally good. In Annadata, Buddha Mil Gaya and few more he was practically a hero.
Tragedy was all the pictures produced by him were utter flops while the ones he acted in were super success. Maybe some sort of jinx.
I saw him and talk to him( he was getting a massage in a lungi) when I went to read out my poems to Rajendra Krishan in Roop Tara Studio, Dadar
I saw Bindiya a couple of times on B&W Channel of Hathway

Arunji,
Extremely well-written article. As per the way you are describing him I think he had the top most work ethic…and that is the reason he was getting offer from the film industry.
Well, I am not familiar with sex bomb actress…Shekhavat 🙂
Sometimes I think …Om prakash and Johny walker was the best actors and they did most of the work in their film.
I do not know Tamil…but Bindiya was remade film of Deivapiravi 1960.
So they have similar Katha in that film…I do not what is the story here 🙂